Conditioning for the show season

[Range]

I have a 36" coming 3 year old filly that weighs about 280 pounds with a tape. She is poofy and I've never been able to feel her ribs, but I've been exercising her to try and get some off. However, it's getting cold and I don't want to get her sick...we pasture keep our horses. So, when do you all seriously start conditioning for the show season?

Thank you for the information.

 

[ThreeCFarm]

I've been told to start 90 days before the first show.

 

[Leeana]

I heard 90 days to.

Im planning on getting them back in shape whenever the ground is no longer wet or doesnt have snow on it

. Im starting the end of March probaly.

Leeana

 

[Ashley]

Well since I do have a fatty to get in shape(that is if I can convince my mom to let me take him out of retirement) I plan to put him and my yearling colt together the first part of March. AT this time I will also be takeing my 2 open mares over to the farm to get bred. Although I thought about keeping one back to get my stud in shape, but mom wouldnt go for that.

Shows start June next year so hopefully that will give me enough time to get fatty fitting back in the cart and harness. He also needs to be fine tuned as he hasnt been drove for over a year now.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

About a month before the first show, so, whenever the first show is (mine is in April) start about a month before that.

 

[Getitia]

We bring all of our show horses up to the primary show barn the first of March - during the off season, all of our horses are turned out to pasture during the day and then brought up to the barn at night for both grain/hay. We attend our first show sometime around the 2nd half of May. We do not allow our horses to become excessively fat or thin during the off season. If that were the case, then I would add one or two additional months to condition. We focus on conditioning and the training of both the equines' mind and body during that preshow time frame.

 

[minih]

I like to start with mine a little on the heavy side, not alot but with some extra pounds on. So right now I have one that is not filled out for what I like so he is already kinda on a show diet, I am beefing him up. But for a strict show diet, noone else on the place really is, I will put everyone up and start their work out program some time in February since our first show is the end of April. I like to start kinda early so we can ease into working out and adjust to a different feeding program slowly and not change things too fast. Right now if you were to look at any of them you would think, that's a show horse? They are all out being horses and enjoying every minute of it, socializing, lots of hay, rolling in the dirt.... We all get a break from the heavy routine so we can all be raring to go in the spring!

 

[Belinda]

When people send me a horse for training , I tell them that they will not be ready to show in the tough competition for at least 90 Days.. And it also depends on the condition of the horse when you bring them to the barn to start working. I have horses in training at this time getting ready for those March and April shows.. We at this time are on what we call light training , and then starting Jan. will go into regular training mode.. and then about 30 days before Nationals we call that Cramming for EXAMS !!!

And again this is works for us and does not mean it works for everyone..

 

[susanne]

My goal is to let them relax over the winter and have plenty of winter "insulation," but also to give them some light exercise so that it's not such a big change come spring. Just as people can be pleasantly plump, yet still fit.

Rather than a strict exercise regimen, it's more like grade school P.E. -- organized playtime several times a week in addition to their own horseplay.

They get their regular feed, beetpulp and BOSS, plus free choice hay (the free choice hay is about the only change in diet from show season). So far it seems to be working well.

Our first show is the first of April, and I plan to start conditioning earlier and more seriously than last year...Mingus looked good, but he could stand more muscle definition and more of a tummy tuck. Flash (Pastorius), will be a challenge, as he always prefers to be snuggling up to Mom rather than working out. I think Keith will need to take up jogging just to get Flash conditioned!

 

[Sanny]

As soon as I have my own baby (any day now) and I have a couple of weeks to recover, I plan to get started. Probably start easing into getting back to work with the horses around Jan 1 and we will probably go to our first show in April. So to answer your question, 90 days prior.

We started really too late last year and were not ready at all for our May shows and I don't want that to happen again. We played "catch up" all summer and worked really hard late in the season leading into Nationals and I really felt like the horses needed some time off (well, me too) October - December. As far as feeding goes, the only major change is they get lots of good hay to munch on....almost free choice....but they are outside most of the time and it has gotten really cold.

IMO The most important right now for you to do beyond working her to get ready for showing is stick with a really high quality well balanced diet, keeping up on the supplements, worming, teeth, farrier, grooming, etc. and you can work on stuff together that keeps the mind working without working up a sweat. do some halter work, work on obstacles together, do some trail work - or basically just going for walks, working on walk, trot, whoa, sidepasses, etc. Just to spend time together and do a little but of easy work at the same time. Susanne put it well when she said "grade school P.E. -- organized playtime together --

By the way I noticed I'd promised all my boys a "vacation" when they got home from nationals and they spent a lot of time in the big pasture together just being horses, grazing, rolling in the mud, running around and kind of having a "I want to be left alone" attitude. to the point that when we had friends over and wanted to show them our minis, the horses would just ignore the guests or look at them suspiciously and over the last couple of weeks I can tell that has changed and they seem like they want lots of attention again -- like they are ready to get back to work now. Hopefully they will all be eager and ready in January.

 

[Becky]

I agree with Belinda. I can take a horse to it's first show after 60 days of training, but that horse needs to be in good weight and condition when it comes in for training. 90+ days is optimum.

 

[Sunraye Miniatures]

We start a month before our first show.

 

[Relic]

Ours are all on free choice 24/7 out in the field all winter so whatever we decide to show comes up to the barn in late April for the first show the first week in July. Some horses take longer then others to condition.

 

[chevycouple]

My horses stay in show shape all year long. I seem to be one of the only ones that do this. Of course I don't have ANY snow this year yet and last year it melted within a few days after it fell. So anyday that there wasn't snow I was out side working all horses.